The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Conventionally, reclining articles of furniture (i.e., chairs, sofas, loveseats, and the like) require a mechanism to bias a leg rest assembly in either extended or stowed positions. Known mechanisms commonly include a large number of moving parts that tends to increase the manufacturing time and costs associated with the article of furniture.
Most reclining rocking chairs include an upholstered chair frame supported from a stationary base assembly in a manner permitting the chair frame to “rock” freely with respect to the base assembly. In order to provide enhanced comfort and convenience, many rocking chairs also include a “reclinable” seat assembly and/or an “extensible” leg rest assembly. For example, combination platform rocking/reclining chairs, as disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,096,121 and 4,179,157, permit reclining movement of the seat assembly and actuation of the leg rest assembly independently of the conventional “rocking” action. The leg rest assembly is operably coupled to a drive mechanism to permit the seat occupant to selectively move the leg rest assembly between its normally retracted (i.e., stowed or retracted) and elevated (i.e., extended or protracted) positions. The drive mechanism is manually-operated and includes a handle which, when rotated by the seat occupant, causes concurrent rotation of a drive rod for extending or retracting the leg rest assembly. Disadvantages of known mechanisms for providing these functions include a large quantity of parts.
As an additional comfort feature, a latching mechanism may also be provided for releasably retaining the chair frame in one or more rearwardly rocked or “tilted” positions on the base assembly following extension of the leg rest assembly towards its extended position. In this manner, normal “rocking” action of the rocking chair is inhibited until the leg rest assembly is returned to its normally “stowed” position. Common furniture member designs use a ratchet and pawl combination to latch the mechanism. Disadvantages of these mechanism designs result as the furniture member rocks when the leg rest is moved between the successive positions, and due to the multiple components required to engage and disengage the mechanisms. A ratcheting noise often accompanies the latching function, and wear of the ratchet and pawl members can lead to a loss of the ratcheting function. An improved mechanism is therefore desirable to eliminate the above disadvantages.